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All right buckle up this will be short, but action packed! Ha. So last week was what Ross & I affectionately refer to as “birthday week from hell” because both boys have a birthday and it always gets hectic. Last Monday Evrett turned 8! 8!!!!! How is that possible? Anyway I made sure to get up in time to make pancakes for breakfast, since loves them. Then after they went to school the girls and I did several errands to make sure he birthday dinner and cake and such were all set. Cora had a fever and was clingy and grumpy. Once we come home and the girls were sleeping, I went to WORK with a vengance! There was baking to do, and fruit to cut and some cleaning and such to finish. I ended up asking Ross to take Evrett’s special class treat to school, since Cora was ill and miserable. We relaxed and watched tv after school instead of doing homework, and then it was dinner (bbq chicken, mac-n-cheese & fruit salad), cake (chocolate “cookie dough” in shape of a microphone) and gifts. This year he elected to have a few larger gifts and no party–Thank heaven for that! So he and I will go snowboarding 1 day in February, and he is watching the LOTR movies with Ross as they finish the books. It took them 3 nights to finish the 1st movie so he was up late too much last week and by Thursday it showed. Cranky, overtired 8 year olds act a lot like cranky over tired 7 year olds–who knew?Then Tuesday was a recovery day and I had a meeting that evening and they were still watching the movie and Ross & I were already tired. Thursday snuck right up on us, which is ridiculous since Ben talked about it non-stop and we had pancakes again and even MORE errands and prep to do, and he really really wanted a party and we really really didn’t want to throw one (yes, we are in fact mean, terrible parents who hate birthday parties involving people outside our house. Deal with it. đ We compromised on a large play date on Saturday morning with no more than 4 friends (and their siblings, because they ALL have at least 1 sibling the same age as one of our other kids). But Thursday was cupcakes for Ben’s class–a post unto itself–hot dogs, mac-n-cheese & fruit salad, chocolate cake w/strawberry filling, and presents. Ben got a new backpack, a stuffed panda he’s been wanting for ages, and his very own “big boy” toolkit with real tools he can use for projects. It is identical to Evrett’s tool kit so it had extra cool power for my sweet younger brother personality child. Then I had small group on the heels of cake and again, Ross & I were tired! Cora also slept terrible Wednesday and Thursday nights so Friday was a doctor visit day, and resulted in a prescription for poor baby’s double ear infection. đ She has been grumpy and ill on and off for 8 days now. Hopefully she’s turning a corner but she woke up this morning at 4:15am so maybe not. At any rate the Saturday play date worked out well, even though 2 kids couldn’t make it; the 2 kids who did each brought a sibling so everyone had someone to play with and that was perfect for us! By Saturday night poor Ross & I were totally spent and just laid on couches for an hour or so before going to bed.

Oh, and then on Sunday Ross hung shelves in the boys’ room and we watched the Super Bowl so the boys were up late yet again. Must get to bed on time tonight! Must. Only I have another meeting and poor Ross was stuck at work till 9:30 last night and then back at it by 6:30 this morning and he has to put them to bed on his own because I’ll be gone.

Some days I feel as though our life just whirrs along at a pace far beyond my ability to keep up. I’m hoping it will now slow down again for a bit, as we need the rest.

I swear there will be pictures of some kind soon! Really. Ok, have a great day, byebye.

I have nothing super great to say except I need to have Ross “fix” my settings so I can actually post some pictures here. And thanks to Amanda for being excited we’re back! đ Oh, and a few funny things the kids have said lately, just for fun. Yesterday we were talking about how uncle Josh doesn’t live here anymore(Ana still has trouble understanding how that works) and Ben said “Yea, the day after Josh left was the worst day of my life.” So sweet to hear how much they love him.

Cora learns new phrases all the time and its hilarious. The other day Ross said something about some task or other taking about 2 hours. She laughed and immediately parroted “Doo Houws”. We all laughed, so now she thinks randomly saying “2 hours” is super funny. Toddler humor is the best right?

Ana, for her part is set on proving she can argue about anything. Yesterday while eating her 2nd banana in the same 10 minutes looked me straight in the eye, frowned and yelled “Mom! I DO NOT YIKE BANANAS!!! Stop saying I yike them!” She was very upset; even more so when she realized Ross & were both laughing at her. She was still chewing her last bite of banana at the time which only made it more funny.

Yes, it is now January of 2013 and I haven’t posted since March of 2011. Sorry. In my own defense having a newborn & 3 other kids under age 7 plus Josh(at that time) and was quite a lot for my brain to comprehend. Also I forgot my login password at some point and did not remember to have Ross re-set it until now. So there you are, a few reasons for my non-posting. But I do really like to keep people up to date on our household, especially with so much family flung about the country and the world!

Today will be a super brief overview from March 2011-now. Coralena Astrid was born April 20th 2011; she was and remains a sweet delight for us all. She is now almost 21 months and talking up a storm. She has a big dimple on 1 cheek and still has wispy baby hair which I love. She loves her family, and making us laugh. Evrett did first grade & is now in 2nd grade. He is still a bundle of energy and has an endless flow of thoughts and ideas he is always excited to share. He’s discovered a love of reading which makes my heart proud. He keeps us laughing and thinking and I find him amazing. Benny started kindergarten last fall and has a love/hate relationship with school. He’s growing into it, but still loves being home with Mommy quite a bit too. đ He’s my little home-body and I adore him. Anabella is 3 1/2! She is a lively, sometimes stubborn girl with a lot of spunk and silliness. We gave preschool a try in the fall but she was very clearly NOT ready for that so we put it off until next year. She loves to snuggle, dance, boss us around, and still wants to do everything the boys do. She becomes quite irritable when she cannot keep up with something purely because of her size. She loves to be a big sister to Cora and watching them play together brings me great joy during the day. She is still a Daddy’s girl and would happily spend every minute of the day with him if she could. This arrangement would work for Ross too, if he didn’t have to pesky things like earn money. Josh graduated high school and moved back to his folks place in May 2012. He’s doing well there, but we miss him. Even Cora, who was barely 1 year when he left, still says “Need Dosh!” if we mention him or see him in pictures or on skype. Ana is especially sad her favorite playmate is not here.

Ross has a different job now too, which I nearly forgot to say! He now works for an IT company providing IT support to companies that don’t have their own in house tech support people. He’s been there for over a year. I am still home with the kids and I really love it. They can make me crazy:) but being here with them and able to see them grow each day just feels right for me. I will attempt to add a few pictures but I make no promises.

Have a lovely day!

Arrrgggh! Of course I can’t get pictures in here. I’ll try again later.

Okay so I have been remiss and lax and several other words that mean I haven’t posted anything in more than a year. Sorry. If anyone still checks this, I will do better at new pics and whatnot henceforth. To prove it, I will post a few pics right now from the last several months. Ana has grown quite a lot(as one might expect from a baby:) since those shots of Christmas 2009. She is running and talking and trying desperately to keep up with her active brothers. She manages remarkably well. Her favorite things to say right now are “Mommy up,” when she wants to be held. “Dude that’s nasty” when she wants to make someone laugh, and generally parroting whatever she hears the boys or her uncle Josh say. She loves to sing, her current favorite song is her very own rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” that is only intelligible because we’re her parents, haha. Uncle Josh is staying with us this year and going to high school, which has been a lot of fun–although I’m not always sure he thinks that! We are a much more chaotic household than he’s used to so that has been an adjustment for him. Ana adores him and I’m fairly certain she thinks he exists only to entertain and snuggle her. It seems to work out fairly well for them both. đ

Evrett started kindergarten last fall, and Ben started preschool. They are getting so big! They both love school and we are excited to see them learning and growing and firguring things out.

In late April we will also be welcoming our little surprise from God–also known as our 4th child. It is a girl and she is due April 29th. We were shocked when we learned I was expecting again but God’s plans are often surprising so we are excited to add another little blessing to our family.

Now for the pictures. . . . Except of course the computer isn’t cooperating so I’ll have to do that later. Check back in 24 hours or so!

So there’s a few of the last few months. We are noticing lately that the boys are still totally enthralled with their sister. It does my heart good to see them make faces at her, or hug and kiss her or say things like this gem from Ben the other day. “Mommy, Anabella is a sweetness girl.” He’s right, and we’re glad they’ve noticed.

We need to post new pictures of our beautiful children in all their rapidly growing cuteness. I’m sorry. I’m working on it and I will try. Until then, here are some great quotes from the boys of late. They keep us laughing each day.

Evrett:(in response to a punishment for a morning of terrible attitude and worse behavior)

Mommy, after I nap can I Please build a time machine so I can go back in time to this morning and behave?

Mommy! You have a superpower; you make milk from your nipples!

Benett:

I am a giant! Giant’s do not pick up toys Mommy!

I am an airplane. I do not sit down.

Mommy I can’t sleep anymore. I need to snuggle you.

They are both so weird. Amusing, but weird. I do love them so. They are in love with their baby sister, just like their parents. She is–to steal a friend’s description of his daughter–a peach. She smiles a lot and has discovered the ability to make noise with her mouth so she yells a lot.

Here’s some family comparisons for you: The first shot is my brother Kevin holding me as a baby; the second is Ben holding Anabella. The coloring is different but I see a lot of Moore in my second-born boy.

So Michael Jackson died this week. And so did Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon. These are all sad events in their own right but I am puzzled sometimes by the things that seem to catch the attention of people in this strange strange world. For instance, before MJ died I know youtube and various video sites were getting many hits on the video of a young woman being shot and killed during the protests in Iran. . . now I think they are probably getting hits on Thriller footage and Charlie’s Angel’s clips. Last week a friend of mine posted a piece on her blog about some friends whose relief work in Uganda has led them to the bizarre position of advising that country’s government regarding the proper punishment for witchdoctors who perform child sacrifices. It had never occurred to them, before this woman’s advice, that such a thing should simple be classified as murder and punished accordingly. You can read all about it at http://jennieelaine.blogspot.com/2009/06/present-day-child-sacrifice.html And yet this unwholesome topic, which I was flabbergasted to learn is still so prevalent in some places, hasn’t made news at all that I have heard.

I’m not sure what the most Godly, humane response to all these events–separately or together–is, but I don’t think dozens of hours of coverage on news stations around the world is it. Maybe something more like a friend mine did when she cranked a favorite MJ tune and danced to it all morning with her daughters. Or watching old Charlie’s Angel’s episodes on dvd. But is it really necessary with all the other crucial events in our world today, to obsess to roughly the point of idolatry over the deaths of some people who were admittedly talented and famous but whose passing wouldn’t have been newsworthy if they weren’t?

I honestly don’t know the answer to these questions, but I wanted to ask them anyway. And that is my two cents for today.

6.Realizing I will spend the next 2 weeks keeping the dog from licking/biting/scratching at his bandage and worrying about keeping said bandage dry.

7.Seeing the look on the poor mutts face when he tries to move and the big no-licking collar gets in his way.

8.The fit Evrett threw when bath time ended 12 seconds early because they wouldnt stop fighting.

9.That Ross was not home for dinner, bath time or bedtime with the boyshe needed a guys night but the timing of picking up the sick dog and Daddy leaving was unfortunate.

That about sums it up. I am tired, and dont feel well. I am going to drink a lovely mug of hot, decaf tea and perhaps pamper myself with cake and ice cream before an early bedtime.Good night all, hope your days were less bizarre.

**Typically, we are low maintenance dog owners. I love my dog, but hes a dog. We feed him and pet him and try to be sure hes exercised and healthy. But if he goes days or weeks without a proper walk, I dont care. I dont believe theres a need to elevate my canine companion to human-esque status with gourmet food or doggie yoga or whatever ridiculousness there is to be found for pet owners. I would not have taken him to the vet at all, except the cut was underneath one of the pads on his leg, and fairly wide. Since hed be walking on it a lot I figured infection would be hard to prevent and he wouldnt let me touch it to try and cover it here. I decided being 8 months pregnant precluded my wrestling my 80 lb canine into submission over the issue. The vet applauded this decision, as she was treating another dog this very day whose owner hadnt taken the proper steps with a similar injury and now they had to amputate the pad entirelywhich just sounds yukky, and much more expensive.